My neighbor's son has a 2018 F150. He's got 36" tires on it with low profile wide wheels.
His rear end started making a crunching noise.
We pulled the dif cover and found bit's and pieces of metal but the ring and pinion and spider gears look undamaged.
After looking close and rotating things we think the e-locker that's on the left side of the carrier broke up.
Decided to pull the axles and yank the carrier out.
So we got the spider gear pin retaining bolt out and discovered it was sheared off exactly the depth of where it meets the pin.
We tried to get the pin out but the only thing we could get it to do was rotate in the bore but would not budge when tapping either end.
Then the BFH shows up with a steel rod. We beat the living hell out of it. Took a good hour to get it to move.
Finally got the end with the sheared pin exposed and the broken part of the retaining bolt fell out.
Now here's the thing... the pin is totally destroyed. It looks like, and this is just a theory, that the small chunks from the busted e-locker got into the spider gears and caused them to seize on the pin and then rotated and sheared the retaining bolt off.
Never would I imagine that pin being so soft as to get so chewed up. We still haven't gotten the pin all the way out. Thinking of cutting the inch or so exposed part off with an abrasive disc so we can beat it in from the other side and be short enough so spin the carrier. Go from there.
Called the Ford house. They said zero single parts are available for the axle pumpkin anywhere in the US.
Will need to buy the whole carrier assy.

 

 

Oversize tires and burnouts on hard pavement with the e-locker engaged are probably not a recipe for a long lived rear diff.

Live and learn.

 

Two years ago when I spoke with a nationally-known axle, ring gear and differential manufacturer, distributor and vendor about the possible availability of any EATON unit for my 2016's 8.8 Super, we also talked about the Ford factory E-lockers. Basically, the Ford OEM-installed "E-Locker" are not terribly strong units, and while they should give good service with the truck's OEM wheel/tire, the minute you start hanging 100lb+ aftermarket wheel and tire assemblies on it, they're gonna waive the white flag and give up.

So! If have the little, factory E-locker and you're wanting a selectable locker and are running wheels and tires much heavier than what Ford put on your truck, then, it's time to step to some real hardware if you want reliable service from it.

If you have a 2015 or newer 8.8 Super with just an open differential and wanted a performance diff, your only option was, until very recently, one differential and that was a clutch-type limited slip. No thank you!

However, TODAY! drivers using the 8.8 Super can have their very own EATON Detroit TrueTrac helical-gear-type differential. It is classed as a limited slip, but it really is in it's own performance category.



If your F150 has the 9.75 axle, then the world is your oyster. Air lockers! EATON Electric Lockers! (far stronger than the OE E-locker), the TrueTrac, the Detroit Locker, you name it. It's available for the 9.75 axle.

 

It is very much a limited slip with pros and cons just like any other limited slip. Because the TrueTrac has no preload, it cannot deal with a wheel-up situation and struggles in situations with very high traction differentials (like one tire on pavement and one on ice). A clutch-type LSD is preloaded and can transfer much more torque in a scenario where one wheel has little to no traction. Non-preloaded helical-style LSD can ONLY multiply the torque available to the tire with the least traction at their designed bias ratio. The TrueTrac has around a 3:1 bias ratio, so it multiplies available traction on the slippiest tire by 3 and sends it to the grippy tire. If the slippiest tire is on ice or in the air, 3 * 0 = 0. Go to 5:56 to see what happens with a TrueTrac and one wheel in the air:

A clutch-type LSD has preload so that if one wheel is slipping a lot and the other is stationary, the clutches themselves transmit power to the grippy side regardless of how little grip the slippy tire has.

 

I still say the TrueTrac is in a class of it's own because:

1. The unit itself never needs servicing as does a clutch pack limited slip every 30,000 or 40,000 miles (quoted intervals)

2. The TrueTrac is easily engaged in non-E-limited-slip vehicles with a little application of brake. In E-limited-slip vehicles (open diff using ABS hardware in conjunction with TractionControl software), the Traction Control software will add brake to the spinning wheel, activating the TrueTrac's torque transfer.

You may tout the advantages of a clutch-style limited slip, and for good reason. I on the other hand think the TrueTrac best for my use scenarios. Thanks for your input.

 

My 2004 Dodge Cummins has the TrueTrac. When I do a burnout and see two black lines, I'm good.

 

Well my buddy got the carrier out yesterday.
Looks like the left main carrier bearing exploded.
One of the spider gears was cracked.
The E-locker seems ok.
So what I think happened is the bearing failed, pieces of the race got into the spider gears causing it to crack and seize to the spider gear pin. When that happened the pin retaining bolt sheared and the pin started spinning in the two bores.
Carrier is scrap.
Looking at aftermarket options.

 

There are sold direct replacement units for that Ford setup but they are no stronger than what you're looking at in the pictures you posted. There are also some pretty cool differential types in the aftermarket as you know.

Which axle housing is it? Apologies if posted and I missed it. 8.8 Super? or 9.75 "Sterling".

 

Believe it's a 9.75 based on the rear cover shape. Here are the carnage pics..